Chapter 635 - 611: Merak Saint Master, Building Momentum

If they managed to break through, their strength and lifespan would increase dramatically, and they would be considered figures at the Supreme Elder Level within the Sacred Land. People like that held an exceptionally transcendent status.

Cultivators who reached this stage were all preparing to break through to the Blood Exchange Martial Saint realm and shatter the Human-God Boundary. Although no one had reached this realm in nearly ten thousand years, the major powers had never abandoned the thought.

The path of Martial Arts Cultivation is one of ever-upward ascent. Even if the way forward seems broken, it cannot deter the resolve of future generations to advance.

"The Sacred Lands should act. The other major powers are likely already arranging to deal with these Alien Races. The Merak Sacred Land cannot fall behind. We must make our own arrangements!"

The speaker was the Pavilion Master of the Merak Sacred Land’s Inner Pill Pavilion, who was also the strongest Top Level Pharmacist in the Sacred Land. Most of the elixirs required for the cultivation of Blood Exchange Martial Saints were refined by his hand.

His status within the Merak Sacred Land was extremely high.

Martial Arts Cultivation is inseparable from cultivation resources like elixirs, so high-level pharmacists naturally held a transcendent status. This was true not just in the Merak Sacred Land, but among all the major powers.

Figures of this level were not easily discarded, as they were incredibly difficult to nurture.

This was precisely why Gu An wanted Pharmacist Yang Chan to join the Merak Sacred Land only after he had been promoted to Advanced Pharmacist.

Once an Advanced Pharmacist entered the Merak Sacred Land, not only would they have the backing of Chiyu Peak, but they would also gain the protection of the Sacred Land’s Inner Pill Pavilion. Their status would be higher, and they could, in turn, provide even greater help back to Chiyu Peak.

An Intermediate Pharmacist, however, did not have this standing. The difference of a single level was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Lü Zhenghai had previously wanted to bring Yang Chan into the Merak Sacred Land with this same goal in mind. Even though Yang Chan had not yet been promoted to Advanced Pharmacist, he possessed the potential. Lü Zhenghai became especially enthusiastic after learning that Yang Chan had successfully refined the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill.

However, at the time, Yang Chan had not wanted to join. The Merak Sacred Land was not entirely safe, and the danger came from within, not from without, which made it even more perilous.

Amidst the internal strife, if he were to join at such a time, he would very likely become a target, and Yang Chan had no desire for that.

This was especially true back then, when his cultivation was not strong, his Pharmacist Ability wasn’t considered very high, and his alchemy skills were still lacking.

Gu An also felt it was too early for Yang Chan to join the Merak Sacred Land, and so he had refused the offer.

Becoming an Advanced Pharmacist, however, was a different story.

Their status would be transcendent. Even if someone wanted to target Chiyu Peak, they would go after Liu Xuan and the others, not the pharmacist. Offending the entire Pill Pavilion would lead to far more severe consequences.

After all, the resources one needed for cultivation were in their hands.

As these individuals spoke up, several other Peak Masters also began to voice their opinions.

"Saint Son, what are your thoughts?"

The Merak Saint Master’s gaze shifted to the Merak Saint Son, who had remained silent until now.

"The Alien Race must be killed!"

The Merak Saint Son, Baili Xi, who wore a golden crown and had a face as fair as jade, gave a simple reply. As he spoke, a sharp intensity flashed in his eyes.

His answer was simple, but his killing intent was unmistakable.

"It seems most of you are in favor of taking action. In that case, this matter shall be handed over to the Saint Son to manage. Furthermore, a Supreme Elder will come out of seclusion to deal with the Alien Race’s Martial Saint masters!"

"The Alien Race has appeared. They must be killed!"

The Merak Saint Master made his final decision, and these were the arrangements.

Though he appeared to be asking for opinions, he had already made up his mind. The inquiry was merely a formality.

"As for the Saintess... she brought back a great deal of cultivation resources and ancient texts from the Purple Void Secret Realm for the Sacred Land, but was injured at the hands of the Alien Race. For now, she will remain in the Sacred Land to recuperate. She may go to the Pill Pavilion to receive a Healing Elixir, along with her reward from the Sacred Land."

The Merak Saint Master’s gaze then fell upon the Merak Saintess. Her aura was fluctuating wildly; clearly, her escape from the hands of those Alien Race Blood Exchange experts had not been without a price.

"Thank you, Saint Master!"

The Merak Saintess cupped her fist in thanks.

’I’m not willing to let this mission go to the Merak Saint Son, but there’s nothing I can do right now. I can only watch as he takes this chance to build his reputation.’

’This is an opportunity to join forces with the other Sacred Lands, to display my might. It’s a necessary step on the path to becoming the next Saint Master.’

’But I’m injured, and not lightly. I need time to recuperate, so I have to give it up. If my foundation is damaged, it will be difficult for my cultivation to advance, and that would be the biggest problem of all.’

So, despite her unwillingness, she could not object. Besides, it was the Saint Master’s arrangement, and she was in no position to defy him.

Although her current cultivation far surpassed that of the Quasi-Saint Sons and Quasi-Saintesses, that didn’t mean she was free from threats.

...

「Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.」

「Imperial Palace.」

"The major Sacred Lands have finally replied. However, none of the Saint Masters are taking action themselves. Instead, they’re handing it over to the Saint Sons, Saintesses, and the like. It seems they’re planning to build up their successors’ prestige!"

The Emperor of Great Zhou, Yang Yu, frowned slightly as he read the letters that had been delivered.

The major Sacred Lands had existed for an extremely long time, and their foundations were incredibly deep—far beyond what the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty could compare to with its mere five hundred years of history. What was most enviable was that each of the major Sacred Lands had more than just one Blood Exchange Martial Saint.

This was a stark contrast to the situation in the various Imperial Dynasties.

Within an Imperial Dynasty, it seemed as though influenced by the national fate, the difficulty of producing a Blood Exchange Martial Saint was extremely high. This remained true even when piling up vast amounts of cultivation resources.

The previous emperors of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had each controlled all of the Dynasty’s cultivation resources, as well as numerous discovered Secret Realms, yet none had managed to break through to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint. Most were stuck at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster realm, unable to advance.

It had been the same for him. After completing his Third Bone Marrow Cleansing, he had attempted to break through several times, but had failed on each occasion.

’If the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou hadn’t given me the technique to break through using the Original National Fate, I probably would have never had the chance to become a Blood Exchange Martial Saint in this lifetime. The Great Zhou Imperial Family would have been left without a Martial Saint to oversee it, and would have fallen into decline.’

’But my luck was quite good. I seized the opportunity and broke through. However, things were not peaceful after the breakthrough; many new troubles arose.’

’First, it was the threat from the Rising Sun Empire, and now, it’s the threat from the Alien Race. These were all unavoidable problems I faced after my breakthrough, problems for which I had no good solution.’

In the end, he could only turn to the major Sacred Lands for help in dealing with these Alien Races.

Now, as he held their replies, his expression was a complex mix of emotions that went beyond simple relief.

’If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty were powerful enough, why would I need to call for aid? Why would I have to be at the mercy of others, waiting for their help?’

The thought that the Destiny Method he so desired was not found in the Purple Void Secret Realm made his expression turn even uglier.

’If I had the Destiny Method for cultivation, my power could still increase. I could borrow the power of the Yun Dynasty itself to suppress these Alien Races. Why would I need to care about the opinions of the Sacred Lands?’

However, Princess Qianyue had returned injured. Although she brought back many cultivation resources and rare ancient texts, the Destiny Method he wanted was not among them, leaving Yang Yu deeply disappointed.

As a result, he couldn’t even bring himself to look kindly upon Princess Qianyue, who had managed to return alive from the Purple Void Secret Realm.

’The item I wanted wasn’t brought back, so the person who went must be at fault. If Princess Qianyue weren’t a woman, I would have suspected she’d hidden the Destiny Method for herself. Of course, even so, I still separately questioned the minister who had arranged the expedition to the Purple Void Secret Realm. I could only confirm that when the group was together, Princess Qianyue hadn’t concealed anything.’

Suspicion is in the nature of every emperor, and he was more suspicious than most. This was a major reason why so many princes of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had rebelled, one after another.

Once the seed of his suspicion was planted, their lives would only become more and more miserable, and they might even be framed for inexplicable crimes.

"Your Majesty, for our Dynasty, as long as the problem with the Alien Race is resolved, that is enough!"

"If the Sacred Lands want the prestige, let them have it. Our Dynasty is different from them; we are not affected even if we lack such empty fame!"

the First Grade Grand Protector quickly advised.

Right now, they needed the major Sacred Lands to take action, especially the Martial Saint masters backing these powers. That was the key.

Otherwise, the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s strength alone was not enough to be a match for those Alien Races. This was especially true now, with the Alien Races stirring and ready to make their move.